NASA is proposing to install 80 acres of solar panels at its Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore to eventually create enough power to provide electricity for 850 homes.

The solar panels would help NASA meet or exceed federal requirements for using renewable energy and to stabilize Wallops’ growing utility costs.

Under the plan, the solar panels would generate 10-gigawatt hours of electricity. In addition, two, 2.4-kilowatt residential-scale wind turbines would be installed at the NASA Visitor Center and the security guard state at Wallops Island.